Our excursion of Saturday 23 March 2019 takes us to the seaside and a good part of the walk is along the coastline. There are 2 trails to walk, a long and a short trail. We shall walk the long trail first, and leave the short trail as an option to walk at the end, depending on the group’s desire. The 2 trails have a common start, Konnos Bay. The long trail is circular, about 2 ½ hours long and takes us to Cape Greco cliffs offering beautiful views, an attractive metal sculpture, and the church of Agioi Anargyroi, by the sea. We shall walk on a variety of surfaces, including paved road, rock, dirt road and cobbled road. There is plenty of vegetation along the way, mainly low plants, including asphodels, sea squills, narcissus and mandrake (mandragoras).
The Konnos Bay – Cape Greco walk starts at 11:00 am. George is leading this walk, which will go ahead even in light rain; if you need to, call 99492628. The walk is mostly on flat ground, with a few climbing sections and is classified as easy to medium difficulty (rating 1 to 2).
The 2nd is a short trail from Konnos Bay out east to Cyclop’s cave and back. It is about 2 km long and takes about 45 minutes to walk. This trail reaches a cave claimed to have been a hideout of the infamous Cyclop, a one-eyed giant who trapped Ulysses and his men, as they struggled to return from Troy to Ithaca, in Homer’s book. This trail is classified easy (1).
After the walk we shall drive to the village of Xylophagou, for a taverna meal. To facilitate arrangements, for your better service, you are required to pre-register, if you are joining us for lunch. To do so, please sms the walk leader or e-mail Xenophon by end Thursday. No need to register if you are not dining. The taverna is a small, family place, about a 15-minute drive, on the way back towards Larnaca and Nicosia.
You have the choice of meeting the group at the walk start, or meet at the designated meeting point in Nicosia. In either case, you need to carry copy of this set of instructions. Meeting in Nicosia offers two important advantages: we drive in full cars, leaving some cars behind; thus, we save in fuel and enjoy the trip in good company. The meeting point in Nicosia is the Handicrafts Centre (Kentro Heirotechnias) on Leoforos Athalassas (Athalassa Avenue), which offers ample parking space. The car trip starts at 9:45 am. Please ensure you observe start times, for the benefit of the group.
How to get to the walk start:
Get to the main junction between Leoforos Lemesou/ Limassol Avenue and Leoforos Athalassas. Zero your odometer at this junction. Drive along the Nicosia-Limassol motorway, heading towards Larnaca. At the 34.6 km reading, you reach a major roundabout. Ignore the 3rd exit to the right, which leads to the airport. Ignore the 2nd exit, going straight, towards Larnaca city. Zero your odometer and turn left, towards Dhekelia and Agia Napa. Continue on this main motorway. At the 43.7 km reading you reach the end of the motorway, at a crossroads. Ignore the exit to the left, leading to Paralimni, Deryneia and Protaras. Take the exit to the right, towards Agia Napa and Cape Greco. The road goes downhill and reaches a roundabout at the 44.9 km reading. Ignore the exit to the left, to Kokkines. Ignore the exit to the right, to Agia Napa. Go straight, towards Cape Greco and Protaras. At the 50.5 km reading you reach a sign indicating a right turn on the E307 road, towards Cape Greco (3 km). This leads to the start of the Sea Caves trail. Do not turn right. Drive straight, on the E306 road, following the sign to Protaras (5 km) and Paralimni (15 km). Look out next for the 52.1 km reading, where you turn right, following the signs to Grecian Park hotel and Spartiatis restaurant. At the 52.5 km reading, you reach a roundabout. Ignore the left exit, which leads to the hotel, which you see ahead, on your right, and the restaurant just adjacent. Take the exit to the right. You pass a small hotel (Konnos Bay) on your left. At the 52.8 km reading you reach our meeting point. You observe a sign ‘Konnos beach kiosk’, a narrow paved road turning left, going downhill, towards the beach, and another narrow paved road, with a sign indicating a path for cyclists, going diagonally left. Park on the side. We meet here.
How to get from the walk finish to the taverna:
Head back towards Larnaca and Nicosia on the A3 and come off the A3 at junction 66. Follow the E305 road as it bends right, passes over the A3 and flows into the main high street of Xylophagou village. Follow this high street until you get to the Margarita bakery on the left-hand side of Eleftherias Street. The taverna bears a green door and is opposite the bakery – it has To Koutouki tou Komiti sign over the front door. There is no car park so you will have to park on the side streets.
How to get to the meeting point for the car trip, coming from the Hilton hotel area:
Get yourself on Makarios Avenue, heading out of town and set your odometer to zero as you drive past the Nicosia Hilton hotel. At the 0.1 km reading you reach traffic lights (with the Apoel club building on your right), go straight. At the 0.5 km reading you reach another set of traffic lights, go straight. Driving along, you pass a few more traffic lights, staying on this main road (named Leoforos Lemesou/ Limassol Avenue). At the 2.1 km reading, you reach a principal set of traffic lights. Set your odometer to zero again and turn right here. You are now in Leoforos Athalassas, a very busy avenue. At the 0.2 km reading you see a large empty space on your right and the Handicrafts Centre (a single-storey building) on your left. Park in the parking area. We meet here. The Handicrafts Centre is next to the church of St. Barnabas.
How to get to the meeting point for the car trip, coming from the Presidential Palace area:
Get to the round-about next to the Presidential Palace. From downtown Nicosia you reach this along the Kyriakou Matsi avenue or along the D. Severi avenue. Set your odometer to zero on the round-about and drive along the principal road towards Strovolos. At the 0.3 km reading you reach traffic lights. Go straight. At the 0.6 km reading you reach a 2nd set of traffic lights. Set your odometer to zero again and turn left. You are now in Leoforos Athalassas, a very busy avenue full of shops. At the 2.6 km reading you see a large empty space on your left and the Handicrafts Centre (a single-storey building) on your right. Park here.
Google Maps: Here is a map for those coming from the Hilton area to the meeting place for the car trip http://tinyurl.com/phjc6s7
Google Maps: Here is a map for those coming from the Presidential Palace area to the meeting place for the car trip http://tinyurl.com/neo9duy
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